40 THE RADIUM V OMAN
waiting room of the Governesses5 agency, dressed
as she was sure a governess should be dressed.
Her hair which had grown again was neatly done
under her faded hat; her dress was plain and
severe; everything about her was ordinary and
quiet.
Nervously she approached the lady at the desk,
holding her certificate and testimonials very tight.
The lady read the testimonials very attentively
and then suddenly looked at Manya; she even
stared at her. "You really mean that you know
German, Russian, French, Polish and English
perfectly?" she questioned.
"Yes" said Manya, "though my English is not
so good as the others. Still, I can teach it up to
examination standard. I won the High School
gold medal/*
"Ah! And what salary do you want?"
"Forty pounds a year resident."
"I will let you know if a post offers/5 With
that not-too-encouraging promise^ Manya left the
agency.
It was not long before Manya found herself a
private governess. The family's name is secret,
because they would not like to remember the trick
fate played them. They opened a little door for
Manya Slodovska, aged eighteen, and through it,
as she tells us, she caught a little glimpse of hell
and she wouldn't go through. Life meant Manya
to be a great giver of gifts, not an unhappy, little
despised slave. They were rich, the B—s; they
kept the governess in her place, speaking to her as